The End

There is something to be said about making a long trip for food. Few things make long trips worthwhile for human beings like food, an instant sensory satisfier. If I wasn't covering independent places I would stress the fact that every Long Islander should make a pilgrimage to the upstate New York Sonic Burger in Wappingers Falls, NY.

Montauk is literally about as far as you can go on Long Island, hence its nickname being "The End." That doesn't mean however, that it is the end of options.

I honestly don't know enough about Montauk to discuss its food history. I'm sure it has a lot to do with seafood. However my favorite item there is not.

Down aways from the Montauk Lighthouse, in the general main area of town is an independent grocery store called Ronnie's Grocery. It isn't fancy or flashy, and is exactly the type of places I love, somewhere you never expect to have something mind blowing.



Inside the grocery store is a small deli. The sandwhich and star attraction of this post? The Turkey Berry hero.

The Turkey Berry hero is an amazing combination of fresh carved turkey, bacon, lettuce, red onion, mayo, and of course, fresh cranberry sauce. It's like a Thanksgiving sandwich kicked up a notch by the surprising addition of bacon and red onion which absolutely blow it out of the water. It's just the perfect hero. It's one of those deli combos that seem simple, but you wouldn't combine them on purpose.

If you find yourself, for whatever reason, on the end of this fine Island, do yourself a favor and find this place as well. It will make all the traffic you hit passing through the Hamptons worth it. Also, the Lighthouse is cool too.

Cherry Valley Deli

Cherry Valley Deli is another unique take on a Long Island standard, the deli. Cherry Valley breaks the mold in a few ways, all mostly working to its success.

Cherry Valley Deli in West Hempstead, NY is actually the second store in the franchise, the first being a great success in Whitestone, Queens.

The deli is open 24 hours, blowing away the accessibility of other area delis by about 12 hours. Much like its down-the-turnpike neighbor A&S, Cherry Valley's all day access leads it to thrive at night, when it is most packed. You will get a seedier crowd at Cherry Valley than at other all-night offerings, but the food is worth it. Worth it, that is, when your starving at night, and want something insanely delicious that is also pretty awful

 for your long-term health.

The Deli boasts over 150 different heroes and sandwiches. Some of them are standard options you have seen before, or could have thought of yourself, but a few of them are so ridiculous and bad for you that you have to take notice. These are the sandwhiches that make Cherry Valley a special place.

I enjoy options, from standard to insane, and I equally enjoy selecting what I think are the best of the litter. Many favorites at Cherry Valley include the addition of fries, waffle fries, onions rings, and brown gravy, not great if you want to live to be 100, but absolutely delicious.

The best sandwich for my money (and a reasonable price at that), is The Beast, a hero which includes fried chicken cutlet, bacon, melted swiss, onion rings, and a river of brown gravy. I know, it sounds illegal. But it's real. It's the definition of a guilty pleasure. It's extremely pleasing, but just ordering it seems irresponsible. Brown gravy is the special ingredient for the entire place, it seems. The over the topness of the options are part of the fun and allure of the deli.

Other great options include The Coyote, a sandwich utilizing waffle fries and ranch dressing, and the too-spicy-for-me-to-handle Gambler, which has pepperjack cheese, hot sauce, hot peppers, and chicken cutlet. Buffalo Chicken sandwiches, Italian meat selections, Hamburgers on heroes, and anything else you can think of or ask for is at your disposal. Breakfast is also served all day, a great option that even A&S Bagels doesn't offer.

The deli's also offers great rare and random treats you would find more frequently in a city bodega than a Nassau suburb, like plantain chips and hard to find flavors of popular brands such as Arizona Iced Tea.

Cherry Valley is a great deli that creates its own niche thanks to a variety of options, it's 24 hour window, and reasonable price. It is the definition of a greasy, awesome, late night snack.

Cherry Valley Deli resides at:
168 Hempstead Turnpike
West Hempstead, NY 
Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
Cash and Cards Accepted
(718) 767-1937
Cherry Valley Deli Website

Upper Crust Cafe

My blog, to me, is much more about finding that special item of food than about the actual place it came from. I like to give a little info of the places themselves because they do factor in, and do give birth to the food, but mostly I like to spotlight things worth making the trip for because we are so saturated in sameness. The Upper Crust Cafe is a great example of this.

Located in Garden City, The Upper Crust Cafe is pricey like other GC eateries, fancying themselves a "Progressive American Cafe." But don't let the name intimidate you. Even though it is in the heart of Garden City's banking district, and literally has "Upper Crust" in its name, despite its priceyness it isn't a suit and tie kind of place. It has a nice, cozy ambiance, a bit of an Italian winery feel, and a very small actual dining area. Couples and families frequent the place, and while they are mostly from Garden City, there is no snobby feeling to the atmosphere, especially not from the staff.

There are a few cool items on their dessert menu, like Creme Brulee Rice Pudding, Stuffed French Toast, and Grilled Pound Cake. But the real star on the menu is in the dinner section under burgers. It's called "The Package."

I'm not a huge burger guy, but this presents the whole thing right. Instead of a bun, the 8oz patty is pressed into a crispy, grilled flour tortilla, allowing you to taste everything inside the sandwich. Joining the burger are sweet caramelized onions, Virginia ham, melted cheddar, and a BBQ mayonnaise. Everything melds together beautiful inside the crunch of the thin tortilla, and it's the juiciest, drippiest burger I've ever eaten. It goes everywhere and it's awesome. It's complimented by house-made chips taking the place of usual fries.

Upper Crust Cafe resides at:
931 Franklin Avenue
Garden City, NY
Lunch
Monday - Friday
11:00a.m. - 3:00p.m.
Brunch:
Saturday - Sunday 
10:30a.m. - 3:00p.m.
Dinner: 
Monday - Thursday
5:00p.m. -9:00p.m
Friday - Saturday
5:00p.m. - 10:00p.m.
Sunday
5:00p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 
http://www.uppercrustgc.com

The Snack Hour

http://ia700202.us.archive.org/14/items/SnackHour/SnackHour.m4a

Garden City Bistro

Amidst the busy suburb of Garden City, a one block oasis of cobblestone and eateries called 7th Street lays in the center of town. 7th Street is a quaint little area were the sidewalks are done up in cobblestone, and business men, housewives, and school children flock to the various interest points that range from popular franchises such as Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks to independent food stops that more so catch my eye.

Tucked away in the back parking lot for 7th Street is Garden City Bistro, a small gourmet shop that offers soups, salads, and paninis but specializes in their wraps.

Back Entrance From Parking Lot

At the food peaks of the day, especially lunch time, the narrow but long Bistro is filled with a long single line of businessfolk, teens, and everyone in between.  The employees behind the counter make everything right in front of you, stirring ingredients for the wraps in large salad bowls to integrate the flavors, and throw chicken, steak, and other favorites right on the griddle. Their bacon is like a steak in itself, thick and chopped up fresh, and may be the best actual bacon I've had out in terms of its flavor and consistency- not crumbly, but juicy.

There are a ton of wrap places on Long Island, but what makes GC Bistro stand out isnt just its quality, gourmet ingredients. The size and shape of the wraps make them their own unique entity, and two meals in one. The wraps arent the usual flat, food roll-ups I'm used too. They are big, bulky, burrito-esque torpedos of flaver.

The wraps come in Regular, Whole Wheat, Tomato-Basil, and Spinach

While there are plenty of great options that range from spicy, to savory, to sweet, such as the Buffalo Chicken Wrap and the Steak Wrap, my personal favorite is rooted in simplicity, which further celebrates Bistro as a simple concept that has something special about it. The BLT Wrap is the best item on the menu, taking the standard concept of bacon, lettuce, and tomato, and turning it into a flavorful, juicy treat. Besides the bacon, which Ive already praised, the key ingredient to the wrap (and maybe to the whole place) is a Basil-Aioli dressing, which takes the place of mayo in the creation, which takes everything to a whole new level. I'm a huge fan of special dressing or sauce- it can make or break an entire meal, concept, or restaurant- and this particular one has it down. I always ask for a little extra, and sometimes I'm out of luck because they run out quick.

The wraps are a bit pricey, which isn't a surprise given that they live in Garden City, but considering how expensive crappy wraps are, it's worth it in my book.

Bistro is located on:
662 Franklin Ave. (Or enter through 7th Street Parking Lot)
Garden City, NY
Mon-Sat: 8:00am-6:00pm
CLOSED Sunday
(516) 747-3696
Major Cards Accepted
GC Bistro

Harbes Family Farm

It's important to remember that Long Island is just that, a long island, and that food experiences don't have to end in central L.I. Although it's a trip, venturing toward the end of the island can not only make for a wonderful fall trip, but it can expose you to some of the great, fresh, simple fare that Long Island's farm and wine country have to offer.

Harbes Family Farm is just one of these examples. Harbes sports three farms, but the one with the good food is located in Jamesport, in the heart of the North Fork's wine pulse. It has great Fall activities to offer, including pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and wine, something for the whole family.

The best thing offered however, is simply the roasted corn. Good corn in a luxury that goes unappreciated on L.I. Sure, you can get it absolutely anywhere, but people who haven't had good corn are really missing out, and people who have had it are spoiled forever.

If you find yourself out on the Island, farm fresh roasted corn and fresh apple cider should be a must for you. Harbes offers these items along with others. The roasted corn is just amazing, crunchy, and fresh. On a nice Fall day you really can't beat the whole experience being far out on L.I.

Harbes also offers some unique items that I also really enjoyed, that also complimented the corn, and was all made from the farm as well. Harbes' apples were used to make delicious Apple Cider, even better and rarer Apple Cider Slushies, and even warm Apple Cider Donuts.


Harbes is out there at:
1223 Main Road
Jamesport, NY
Open Daily (Jul.-Nov.1) 9:00am-6:00pm
(631) 722-2022
FREE PARKING
http://www.harbesfamilyfarm.com/

Thomas's Ham 'n' Eggery

In an island full of diners, eaterys need to have some extra special items in order to make themselves stand out. Thomas's Ham 'n' Eggery, perhaps my favoritely named diner, does just this.

The glowing retro sign that sticks out on Old Country Road acts as a giant arrow that leads one to a world of wonderful breakfast food. The sign itself has a funny story. Even though one of the owner's names is Thomas, the sign and storefront was actually established back 1946 by the original Tom. After a series of sales and purchase trade-offs of the diner, it eventually ended up in the hands of the current Thomas and his brother, who conveniently saved a lot of money on sign replacement.

While Thomas's features many of the breakfast-diner standards, their French Toast stands out above the rest. Their special STUFFED French Toast, to be specific.

Thomas's features an array of insanely good French toasts, stuffed with a variety of flavored fillings, made fresh. Some of the best stuffed options include Cranberry, Banana Cream, Raspberry, Nutella, and Lemon Ricotta. They even have a Strawberry topped French Toast made with croissant bread instead of the standard, very crunchy and sweet. The french toast itself is quite good, but it's what's on the inside that counts. The stuffed ingredients are creamy and fresh, a mixture of cream cheeses, spreads, and fruit. It's well made too, and not a mess, as if it's inside of a pocket instead of two pieces of bread. And you get two "sandwiches" with your order, stuffed with your flavor of choice. That's four pieces of french toast all together. You barely need syrup.

Cranberry Stuffed French Toast, topped with Craisins. 

Another fun part of Thomas's is that their omelets and frittata, both delicious, creamy, and just the right amount of crisp, come served right in the skillet they were born in. Fresh from the stove or the oven, they come sizzling hot in the pan to the table, big enough to reasonably feed four people, especially the fritata, which i prefer over the omelet. Some of the frittata options include Bacon & Gorgonzola, Leek & Chicken Sausage, and Pancettta & Fontina.

Bacon & Gorgonzola Frittata, fresh out of the skillet- zingy, crispy, fluffy, baconey.

Thomas's is a refreshing option in a sea of Long Island diners that serve that standard eggs, toast, and bacon dishes. Prices run relatively cheap here too, even for the featured items. 5-9 Dollars would be the range per item, which is a good buy considering most diners change 10 bucks for a club sandwich or a hamburger. It would be a waste to get French Toast without stuffing, eggs without a skillet, or any of the other items like Corned Beef Hash, Pigs in a Blanket, and Heuvos Rancheros if you came to eat here without knowing the menu. I've seen it happen. It's sad. 

You can find Thomas's at:
325 Old Country Road
Carle Place, NY
Mon-Sat: 6:00am-10:00pm
Sun: 6:00am-4:00pm
(516) ED3-3060
CASH ONLY!
More Info: http://www.exploreli.com/venues/thomas-s-ham-eggery-diner-1.854003